Families who were fortunate enough to lock in generationally low mortgage rates before the rapid increase over the past few years have one of the best wealth-building tools available - staying in their homes.

Consider a 35-year-old couple making $200,000/year that took out a $600,000 mortgage on a $750,000 home and were lucky enough to lock in at 3% for 30 years before rates started to rise. Their payment comes out to roughly $30,000/year or 15% of their income…

With soaring interest rates over the past year and very little movement in home prices, buying a home has become much more expensive. I can’t imagine how difficult this environment is, especially for first-time home buyers, who are seeing the cost of owning the same home essentially double in just a few years.

Because of these dynamics, many buyers are turning toward building in parts of the country where it is cheaper than buying an existing home…

Recently I heard a doctor talking about the crisis in Sudan, where intense clashes between military forces have threatened the lives of thousands. He had recently spoken to another doctor in Sudan who was the sole MD in charge of patient care for nearly a million people. Every day, he saw all sorts of medical problems that we would never imagine suffering from here in the US. However, he went on to say that the US and other developed countries suffer from one illness that the Sudanese largely do not: depression.

In recent years, researchers and economists have recognized the limitations of GDP as a measure of progress and have sought other metrics to assess the well-being of citizens. One such metric is the World Happiness Report, which measures the overall happiness of citizens in a country…

Getting young savers to make the initial commitment to start saving can be difficult. Consider a recent college graduate making $50,000 per year. If they save the recommended 10-15% of their income, that may leave very little for fun spending. The likelihood of them continuing to save decreases if they can't enjoy much of their income, especially during the years with lower income.

If they do give up on savings early, it can be a tough habit to regain, even as their income increases over their career. Because of this, I think it's great to encourage young investors to get started, no matter how small the amount. The power of making a commitment and being able to stick to it is significant…